Pope Benedict XVI surprised Catholics around the world on Monday by announcing that he will resign on Feb. 28, after serving for just under eight years. It has been six centuries since a pope resigned. In a statement, Benedict said "I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise" of his duties. Speculation is already swirling about who will succeed him.
Dan Brown, author of the blockbuster The Da Vinci Code, is back with his first novel in four years. Inferno follows academic hero Robert Langdon on a chase through Italy as he attempts to avert a biological catastrophe.
Designer Katie Shelly's upcoming cookbook offers 50 illustrated recipe "blueprints" for basic meals — from simple snacks to more hefty dishes like eggplant Parmesan. She hopes they'll inspire any level of cook to improvise in the kitchen.
The Model S from electric car manufacturer Tesla has been named Motor Trend Car of the Year. But the company's business model is under attack by a formidable foe: the National Automobile Dealers Association, one of the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington.